


To War

by commandershakarian



Series: The Heroes of Ferelden [3]
Category: Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Dragon Age - Freeform, Dragon Age Quest: The Battle of Denerim, F/M, Origins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-26
Updated: 2016-02-26
Packaged: 2018-05-23 06:53:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6108592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/commandershakarian/pseuds/commandershakarian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elias Amell, a templar from Kinloch Hold, ponders the upcoming Battle at Denerim against the darkspawn horde. Only one person is on his mind, the Warden who was going to save them all: Leda Surana.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To War

**Author's Note:**

> A one shot written for my friend, noctuaalba, on tumblr with her Surana and my Amell.

Rain fell from the sky in heavy drops. Each landing with a plop in the puddles along the road. Elias Amell’s helm was pulled down over his face, shielding him from the downpour. His charges, however, weren’t as lucky.

The mages that trudged beside him were soaked, their robes sloshing through the mud as they walked. The grass fields surrounding the Imperial Highway were burned, destroyed. Bodies littered the ground, poor unsuspecting souls that had been in the way of the darkspawn horde. He kept his eyes forward, ignoring the sight of men, women, and children dead upon the scorched earth.

Knight Commander Greagoir lead the group of templars and mages, his steely eyes watching them closely, a hand on his sword in warning. A lump formed in Elias’ throat from fear: of the darkspawn, of what awaited them at Denerim.

The Warden walked ahead of him, her cloak heavy with water, the cotton of the hood sticking to her face. He could see some flashes of her auburn hair blowing in the wind, only to be drenched by the rain and disappearing from his view. He didn’t know how she’d done it all. She’d united all of Ferelden in this Blight, gained the aid of the Dalish, of the dwarves of Orzammar, of the mages and templars of Kinloch Hold. Even the nobles stood with her, an elven mage with no prior leadership experience who’d traveled the country with a group of misfits.

He’d always loved her. Leda Surana was strong, powerful, resilient. She’d lived in the Circle almost as long as he’d been in the Chantry. He didn’t remember much about his life prior. He knew his mother was a noblewoman in Kirkwall. He had a pair of older twin sisters and magic was a curse on both of them. After they’d been shipped off to separate Circles, he hadn’t seen them again.

Perhaps he would when this was over…

Arl Eamon Guerrin paused, his horse putting him in perfect position to see the army he’d help build. Glancing down at Leda and the other warden, Alistair, he announced that they would make camp to warm up before continuing on into the night. Elias sighed happily, the image of a warm fire and an even warmer meal taking over his every thought.

He stored his shield and sword in his tent, his helmet finding its place in a small chest. As he exited to find his dinner, he was surprised to see Leda Surana sitting by the fire outside the tent, ringing the water from her cloak before laying it on a log to dry. At the sound of his armor, her dark eyes glanced up, widening at the sight of him.

“It’s good to see you, Elias.” She whispered, tucking a wave behind her ear and glancing into the fire to avoid his eyes. “How’ve you been?”

Elias cleared his throat nervously. “Busy with rebuilding the Circle. We’ve lost so many.”

She nodded, her expression distressed. He wasn’t sure if it had anything to do with him reminding her of simpler times for both of them. Before she was a Grey Warden. Before he had murdered many of her friends that night in the Circle.

Pulling the gauntlets from his hands, he laid them at his feet before following with the rest of his armor. Finally freed from the heavy chestplate and mail, he took a seat beside the fire and stretched his feet out, trying to find some warmth in the cold, wet night. It was a few moments before she joined him, her robes damp from the earlier rainstorm. Her hands were pale against the firelight. He resisted the urge to reach out and take them between his own. He knew she must be freezing.

Without a thought at how it would look to the other templars, Elias reached back for the blanket in his tent and draped it over her shoulders, leaving her to pull it around her tightly, a flutter of a smile on her face.

“Better?” He prompted before handing her a hunk of cheese and bread.

Taking the food, she nodded. “Much better. Thank you, Eli.”

The nickname rolled off of her tongue naturally and it was like music to his ears. It had been too long since he’d seen her, spent time with her. He didn’t realize how much he’d missed it. How much he’d missed _her_.

Elias found that he couldn’t eat his food. While Leda nibbled on the piece of bread, she didn’t eat much either. The upcoming battle loomed before them and truth be told, he didn’t expect to survive. Sighing, he turned to face Leda, expecting her to avoid his gaze, but found that she met his eyes with determination.

“This may be the last time you see me, Leda. I just- I have to-”

Pressing a finger to his lips, she shushed him, tears already dancing in her eyes. It could have been a trick of the light, but he knew it wasn’t. This could very well be goodbye.

“Elias, don’t. _You’re_ going to make it.” Her words were quiet, but her gaze spoke volumes.

His heart fluttered nervously, terror seizing his chest. She didn’t think _she_ was going to make it. Unable to stop himself, not caring what consequences laid ahead for this break in protocol, Elias took her face in his hands, wiping away the tears that had fallen upon her cheeks. “We’re going to make it, Leda. When we do, I don’t think I’ll be able to leave your side again.”

“The _templars_ , Eli.” She whispered, afraid of those that may be watching.

“When we defeat the darkspawn, I’m leaving the templars, Leda. I’ll help you rebuild the Wardens.” Her eyes widened at this, uncertainty in her expression. “Or not. If you don’t want to stay with the Wardens, I’ll understand.”

Leda pressed her forehead against his, tears flowing freely now. “It sounds wonderful, Elias. All of it. I was afraid to say it before, but I… I-”

“I know.” He responded, knowing how difficult the situation was for her. “ _I know_.”

He kissed her lips softly before pulling her to his chest, letting her soak his dry shirt with her tears. He would do anything to make sure Leda survived this damned war. They were both terrified, but he knew that she was stronger than she thought. She would defeat this Archdemon and finally be free. She would be able to do anything she wanted and whatever she chose, he’d be there with her every step of the way.


End file.
